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Monday, May 26, 2008

can't I just wear a sandwich board?

I hate the idea of self-promotion, and clearly, I am doing it wrong.Not only have my Etsy sales been at a standstill for the entire month of May, but I'm not getting the hearts and views i'd like, either. I read thread after thread about "how to get customers" on the forums, but i'm just not willing to bug the crap out of people for attention, spamming friends' emails and sucking up to the big bloggers. Yick.So here are some ways i'm considering finding business for my Etsy store, because if I don't make any sales there, I have trouble telling people i'm "a working artist", plus I can't afford to buy the bath and beauty items and tidbits that keep me going. And I need more soap. So...1. Wear a big, fat sandwich board, a la the 1930's, proclaiming that purchasing from my Etsy shop will cure mesothelioma.2. Get some iron-ons and plaster all of Cleo's shirts with ads for my Etsy shop, then let her loose at the mall.3. One word, 3 syllables: sky writing.4. Offer to give my cat to the first person to buy something from my Etsy shop. Or, alternately, to *NOT* give my cat to that person. Their choice.5. Bake a bunch of Tollhouse Cookies with my business cards inside of them, then sell them at a bake sale for $1. Baked goods + free surprises inside? Priceless!6. Graffiti. It wouldn't take me long to tag http://www.pollywogpouch.etsy.com on a Marta bus!7. Forehead tattooing. It works for the Maoris, and it would cover up my delightful pregnancy "glow", also known as acne.8. Buy a big box of monarch butterflies, paint my Etsy shop address on their wings, and release them into the world to spread the word. Until they die or go to Mexico, where they don't care about Etsy.9. Sponsor a little league team. Surely the Mighty Pollywogs would strike fear into the hearts of their opponents? Maybe I could split the cost with an escort service or funeral home.10. Suck it up, post on the forums, add a signature to my emails, post pics on Flickr, buy a Showcase every now and then, post more items, and stop feeling sorry for myself.Any votes?